My Favorite Disney Park Photos: A Moody California Adventure

It's hard to believe that California Adventure will have its 20th Anniversary in February! I'll have a HUGE post to commemorate that coming your way. But in the meantime, here's a photo from a decade ago. It was a moody, overcast, grey afternoon- making it a prime photo opportunity! 

A morning view from the opposite direction.

The stationary California Zephyr may have disappointed guests who thought it would take them on a grand circle tour of the park, similar to Disneyland's Santa Fe Railroad, but it did offer a pretty good bakery, a solid ice cream spot, and a pretty unique little toy shop. 

The best part about it all, was the sense of California it gave the under Imagineered Six Flags-like second gate. There was so little true theming to be found that even the slightest hint of a nod to the culture and history of California stood out. 

The newly Imagineered park brought the charm of Buena Vista Street and the awesome and inspired Cars Land, but the Zephyr was a victim of the grand transformation. It's too bad. 

The entire park was Bargain Basement Imagineering at its worst. Yet, it does make for a fascinating history. If you want more, take a look at this series on articles on the blog. You'll be amazed and strikingly disappointed in what Disney executives of the time thought would be a compelling sister park to Walt's original Magic Kingdom!

In fact, there are over 400 articles on this blog about the little park that once was the laughing stock of the theme park world. Take a peek at Bargain Basement Imagineering beginning here. Part Two is here. Part Three (with the beginning of the park transformation) can be found here. There are also a large number of articles on this site that chronicle the transformation of the park through a look at Disney concept art, Imagineering a New Dream. Enjoy!

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)